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Event to celebrate life of Rylan, nine

FRIENDS and family of a popular Millom youngster will come together to celebrate his life at a fundraising event.

Rylan Cosgrove died in February last year following a serious asthma attack.

The nine-year-old rugby starlet’s mum, Julie Stephenson, praised the Millom community for its support following the tragedy.

And tomorrow night a fundraiser for Millom Mini Rugby League Club will be held in his memory.

Ms Stephenson said: “I wanted to give something back so we decided to go with a charity and entertainment evening. We wanted to do a charity auction earlier in the year, with a signed Wigan Rugby League shirt and rugby ball. I was hoping to do it at the children’s presentation night earlier in the year but we missed it.

“I spoke to the girls at the club and we came up with this idea instead.”

A junior rugby league game was also due to be played on the day, but bad weather meant it had to be cancelled. But the family are aiming to host it again later in the year, with the possibility of it becoming an annual event. The family fun evening will get under way from 6pm, at the rugby clubhouse, in Devonshire Road, Millom.

Ms Stephenson said: “It’s going to be a fun evening for the kids. Rylan would have enjoyed it.

“He loved his rugby. He started training just before he was six and started playing shortly after. Rugby has been in the family for a lot of years. A lot of my family play and I follow it myself.

“Everyone has been fantastic and the support that I’ve been show has been amazing. I don’t know how the children are coping with it. They seem to be doing better than us. But every time I see one of his school friends or the rugby lads they always make a point of asking how I am. It’s lovely really. They all enjoy doing stuff for him. The kids who did the sponsored walk, they did that by themselves. I’m hoping it’ll be a good turn out and all the kids enjoy it.”

On the evening, Millom RL club will unveil a framed rugby shirt in Rylan’s memory, which will be hung in the clubhouse.

Ms Stephenson said: “It’s a lovely thought by the club. It’ll be there for ever.”

She would also like to thank the organising committee of Pauline Robinson, Lisa Myers and Sue Lloyd.